Ready to Rocket list for 2015 Showcases Technology Sector Strength and Growth on Three Fronts - ICT, Cleantech and Life Sciences

Rocket Builders Names Top Technology Companies To the “Ready to Rocket” lists for 13th Consecutive Year to Highlight Companies with Highest Growth Potential

VANCOUVER, BC – February 26, 2015

Rocket Builders today released its thirteenth annual “Ready to Rocket” lists. These lists profile British Columbia technology companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the technology sector trends that will lead them to faster growth than their peers. Rocket Builders also released results from its 2014 lists, with strong revenue growth across all sectors and 2 companies being acquired - Pulse Energy acquired by Boston based EnerNOC Inc. and Medeo Corporation acquired by QHR Corporation. Additionally, Life Science company Aquinox Pharmaceuticals Inc. did an IPO last March.

The annual 2015 “Ready to Rocket” lists provide accurate predictions of private companies that will likely experience significant growth, venture capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. The lists cover 3 different technology sectors:

●Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

●Cleantech (CT)

●Life Science (LS)

The “Ready to Rocket” lists are the only predictive lists of its kind in North America, requiring many months of sector and company analysis.

“The technology sector continues to grow in B.C. and presents a growing challenge to select and identify the most likely to succeed.” said Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. “Ten years ago, the list only featured ICT companies, and that was the fastest growing segment of the technology sector. Now, both the LIfe Science sector and the CleanTech sector have established themselves as equal partners in driving revenue, employment and investment opportunity in B.C.”

“Most of the companies on the Ready to Rocket lists do the majority of their business in the United States,” said Reg Nordman, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders, “The USA Economy is growing, and, along with the weakening Canadian dollar, is expected to give B.C. technology companies a revenue boost next year. In past years when the Canadian dollar weakened, Ready to Rocket companies were able to be more competitive and increase profitability.”

The 2014 Ready to Rocket list for ICT performed extremely well. The median growth rate on that list was 50% growth, with 4 companies exceeding 100% growth. The majority of companies on the list had between 25% growth and 100% growth, and the list as a whole represented the creation of over 287 jobs (51% headcount growth). Over 40% of companies on the list received new investment in 2014. The 2015 list will feature 28 companies, and the list can be found here:

“The number of ICT companies in B.C. continues to grow, with high-profile accelerators contributing to this trend.” said Steven Forth, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders. “The ICT sector as a whole has been driven by the ‘Internet Everywhere’ trend with mobile apps/devices and cloud connectivity, and we see this driving many of the B.C. companies. There are a large number of young growth ICT companies in B.C. maturing to require investment to capitalize on market opportunities.”

The 2014 Ready to Rocket list for Cleantech also performed extremely well, with a median revenue growth rate approaching 100%. The Cleantech list companies created over 100 new jobs, representing over 35% employment growth. The majority of companies exceeded 50% revenue growth and an impressive 80% of the companies acquired new investments in 2014. The 2015 list will feature 17 companies, and the list can be found here:

According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, “The Cleantech sector in B.C. is very strong, and the companies on the list have become well established. These companies benefitted from acquiring key industry partnerships to establish great channels to market. Growth rates are better than any other region in North America. ”

The 2014 Ready to Rocket list for Life Science featured many new investments and key milestones. Revenue growth was over 100% for all companies on the list, and the majority of companies at least doubled their headcount. The 2015 list will feature 10 companies, and the list can be found here:

Thealzel Lee, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, says that “2014 has seen significant investments in BC’s life science companies, and advances in progress has increased revenue and headcount. The major trends influencing this sector include evolving regulatory issues, the need for efficiency in healthcare delivery, and the ongoing convergence with IT technologies.”

BC is home to many of Canada's most exciting technology companies. Rocket Builders has built a unique methodology for analyzing market trends and using this knowledge to predict revenue growth in the coming year. Each year Rocket Builders publishes lists which profile the BC companies that have the greatest potential in the coming year.

The "Ready to Rocket" Lists feature top technology companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the largest growth trends in the technology industry. This upcoming list will be the 13th year of this recognition list. We expect that companies selected to the "Ready to Rocket" list will outperform the economy and represent important trends that are creating rapid revenue growth.

We are seeking nominations for the 2015 "Ready to Rocket" lists that we will present on February 26th 2015. Nomination deadline is February 20th 2015, but submission as soon as possible will allow the selection committee more time to consider your nomination.

Please nominate a company even if the company is "too early" to qualify as Rocket Builders also recognizes emerging companies. Many promising companies are too early in commercialization, too early in first revenues, or in transition to new markets or business models. Based on the potential of their technology alone, Rocket Builders recognizes their potential in a "Emerging Rockets" list. These companies represent companies to watch over the next few years and are likely to mature into "Ready to Rocket" companies.

Rocket Builders recently
gathered data to complete their yearly Mid Year Review on the companies on the
2014 Ready to Rocket ICT List and discovered high revenue growth, high full
time employment growth and over ten million dollars raised in angel and venture
capital financing.

Ready to Rocket
is an annual list of the companies in Information Communications and Technology
(ICT), Clean Tech and Life Sciences that Rocket Builders believes are most
likely to show break out growth in the coming year. This year Rocket Builders focused on companies in the Information
and Communications Technology List as these companies are at the heart of
the British Columbia innovation ecosystem and they tend to have more revenue
traction than companies in Clean
Tech or Life
Science.

Data showed early-stage
companies experiencing up to 7X growth and larger companies expecting to see
revenues grow by more than 100%. The major trends supporting the growth of the
Ready-to-Rocket companies are Cloud, Social, Mobile, Big Data, and Security.
The most successful companies are those that have translated these trends into
opportunities in a specific segment.

“There has been a lot of excitement
about start-ups in Vancouver, and this is good, but it is during the growth
phase that most value is created and there needs to be more attention to and
support for Vancouver's growth stage companies," said Rocket Builders
partner Steven Forth. "A 1 or 2% difference in month-to-month growth makes
a big difference early on.

Companies are projected to
increase growth in full time employees by 34% by the end of the year.There was a 25% decline in revenues per
employee, but this decline is likely due to the number of very successful
companies that graduated from the Ready to Rocket List and the remaining
companies are on average smaller and less mature. As large technology companies
open offices in BC there will be upward pressure on local wages as well.

Reg Nordman, managing
partner, is “constantly impressed by the resiliency of the Ready to Rocket
companies to grow steadily regardless of economic events.It is a testimony to these companies’
abilities to address real needs in strong markets.”

The Ready-to-Rocket companies
seem to have a balanced approach to metrics overall, but about half are focused
only on backward looking financial metrics. This is like driving a car by
looking in the rearview mirror. Companies have an opportunity to sharpen their
differentiation by developing metrics that are specific to their offer and that
measure the value to the customer. These are the metrics that can change future
performance.

List Announcement Events

February 26th 2015 - List Launch Event

Nomination Deadlines

February 20th 2015 - Nomination Deadline

Ready to Rocket Recognition Program

Ready to Rocket is a unique business recognition list that profiles B.C. technology companies with the greatest potential for revenue growth. Since 2003, the Ready to Rocket list has consistently predicted the revenue growth leaders and the companies most likely to attract investment.